Ruth Pretty's Chocolate & Raspberry Cake
Sometimes in life you just need a big old slice of chocolate cake! Whether it's to celebrate, to comfort, or to bring a little moment of joy to a difficult day. This utterly fabulous Chocolate & Raspberry Cake recipe, from our good friend Ruth Pretty, is perfect for any and all of the above. With vibrants pops of raspberry and a burst of colour on top, it's a go-to recipe for any reason - or no reason at all!
For the Cake
(makes 1 x 18cm round cake)
(makes 1 x 18cm round cake)
50g (1/3 cup) cocoa
250g (1 1⁄4 cups) sugar
160g (1 cup + 3 tbsp) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1⁄2 tsp salt
165ml (2/3 cup) buttermilk
2 eggs
85ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp raspberry essence
150ml (2/3 cup less 1 tbsp) boiling water
90g (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp) raspberry jam
For the Chocolate Ganache
80g { 70%} dark chocolate (finely chopped)
90ml (1/3 cup + 1 tsp) cream (heated until hot)
For the Raspberry Icing
10g (2 tsp) butter (softened)
15ml (1 tbsp) hot water
75g icing sugar (sifted)
¼ tsp raspberry essence
drop pink food colouring
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease base and sides of an 18cm round cake tin with baking spray or butter and line base with baking paper.
Into a large bowl sift cocoa, sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda and
salt and combine.
Into separate bowl place buttermilk, eggs, oil, vanilla extract and
raspberry essence and whisk to combine.
Pour buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients and stir until partly
combined. Pour in water and whisk until batter is just combined, and batter is
smooth.
Working quickly, pour batter into prepared tin. Dollop raspberry jam onto batter in tin and swirl into cake.
Place into preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a cake skewer when inserted comes out clean.
Remove cake from oven and cool completely. Remove from tin and then remove baking paper. Turn cake upside down onto a flat tray.
To make the chocolate ganache, place chocolate into a small bowl and pour cream over chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted and ganache is thick and smooth.
To make the raspberry icing, into a small bowl place butter and water and stir until butter is melted. Add icing sugar, raspberry essence and food colouring and stir until combined and icing is smooth.
250g (1 1⁄4 cups) sugar
160g (1 cup + 3 tbsp) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1⁄2 tsp salt
165ml (2/3 cup) buttermilk
2 eggs
85ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp raspberry essence
150ml (2/3 cup less 1 tbsp) boiling water
90g (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp) raspberry jam
For the Chocolate Ganache
80g { 70%} dark chocolate (finely chopped)
90ml (1/3 cup + 1 tsp) cream (heated until hot)
For the Raspberry Icing
10g (2 tsp) butter (softened)
15ml (1 tbsp) hot water
75g icing sugar (sifted)
¼ tsp raspberry essence
drop pink food colouring
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease base and sides of an 18cm round cake tin with baking spray or butter and line base with baking paper.
Into a large bowl sift cocoa, sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda and
salt and combine.
Into separate bowl place buttermilk, eggs, oil, vanilla extract and
raspberry essence and whisk to combine.
Pour buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients and stir until partly
combined. Pour in water and whisk until batter is just combined, and batter is
smooth.
Working quickly, pour batter into prepared tin. Dollop raspberry jam onto batter in tin and swirl into cake.
Place into preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a cake skewer when inserted comes out clean.
Remove cake from oven and cool completely. Remove from tin and then remove baking paper. Turn cake upside down onto a flat tray.
To make the chocolate ganache, place chocolate into a small bowl and pour cream over chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted and ganache is thick and smooth.
To make the raspberry icing, into a small bowl place butter and water and stir until butter is melted. Add icing sugar, raspberry essence and food colouring and stir until combined and icing is smooth.
To ice the cake, pour Chocolate Ganache on to flat side of cake, leaving a 5mm rim around outside of cake.
Place Raspberry Icing into a disposable piping bag with a fine hole for piping. Starting at the centre of the cake, pipe spiralling circles about 1cm apart, until you reach the edge of the icing. Drag the tip of a skewer through the raspberry icing from centre of cake to edge of cake. Make the second drag in the opposite direction from the outside cake to the centre. Continue to alternate lines until you have an even spider web/feathered effect.
Set aside for 30 minutes for icing to set. If you wish serve with ice cream and or whipped cream.